UFO

 

I have been seeing this insect on various plants and surfaces for the last week but haven't figured out what it is. It looks a bit like a fly and a bit like some type of bee. Any ideas?

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world. 

Stylish Bench

 

This bench in Mirvish Village stopped me in my tracks. At first I thought that is was in mid construction but realized that this is the finished design. It is unusual but still works well as a bench. I like it.

Balconies

 

  

I seem to be spotting balconies everywhere that I walk lately. This house has to win the prize for the biggest ones on a house. I assume that the place is divided into flats and each has its own walkout.

Leather Aid

 

The Sandal Man does a great job advertising his place. There are signs like this around town and he even puts ads on the city buses sometimes.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world. 

Cosmos & Friend

 

I love Cosmos and always plant some although these ones had seeded themselves from last year. The bees all love them and I have often seen hummingbirds on them but not this year so far. On the right you can see my little steel bird friend who enjoys the flowers too.

City Creatures

 

I love this stylized mural of our city creatures enjoying a break. The raccoon is in charge of the coffee while the black squirrel and Canada Goose drink up. The only artist info is AS.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

Round Balcony

 

I love this round balcony that I spotted on this large house in the Annex neighbourhood. Can't you just imagine sitting out there on a warm evening in the summer with a cold drink while you watch the world go by?

Snack Time

I just managed to catch this shot of the female Cardinal just be fore she flew off so she is a bit out of focus. I think she was being protective of her snack since there were a bunch of sparrows foraging around her. Not as bright as the males they are still pretty birds. 

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
 

Restoration

 

I am staying along the same block in the city this week. This building is just a couple of doors down from the park with the fountain that you saw yesterday and shows the age of the rest of the street. Some are already open but this one is still being worked on. Friends had a studio for many years in the lower level at the right. It will be interesting to see who all the new tenants on the street will be.

Fountain In Action

 

On Monday you could see this fountain in front of the starry mural but there was no water spraying. I happened by again a few days later and one of the construction workers surprised me by pushing a button and then water spouted out of the pavement and into the fountain. It was windy though and and the water was spraying me and my camera so I moved away. I will have to go back again on a still day for more shots now that I know about the magic button.

In the background you can see the building I showed on Tuesday with the front opened up. This shows it closed. 

Coming Soon

 

I am still on the redevelopment site of the old Honest Ed's location. You can see in this drawing a bit of the scale of the development with the construction of several tall rental apartment buildings as well as the refurbishment of the old Victorian buildings along Markham St. It occupies a square city block and the whole thing is called Mirvish Village after Honest Ed himself who was Ed Mirvish. It looks like there are lots of activities to come in the neighbourhood.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

A Bit Of A Mystery

 

Just  across the road from yesterday's parkette in the Honest Ed's complex is this rather mysterious building. With a group of high rises as a backdrop it is short and the front of it folds open like a garage door. I have no idea what it will become but I would guess that it will be some type of community activity centre. It is still under construction.

Stary Wall

 

The redevelopment of the old Honest Ed's site has been going on for several years but they have finally been opening some businesses and this is a parkette along Markham St which has a stage area, plantings, and this great mural which has no artist info. That is a fountain on the right side but it wasn't turned on when I was there.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

More Balconies

 

This condo building on Dupont St has been under construction for a few years but it looks like some people have moved in and there are flowers on a couple of the balconies. It is the curvy balconies that give this building some style.

Theme Day: Purple

 

The August theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is purple and for this theme I offer this rare purple speckled fish which I made in earthenware about 20 years ago. There aren't very many of them around. This is also my entry for the Saturday's Critters meme.

Taking part in the Purple theme. Click HERE to see more purple from around the world. 

Click HERE to see more critters from around the world. 

Another Balcony

On these hot days in summer a nice balcony is so nice to see and I seem to have been coming upon many this season. This one had a lot of nice shade and space for friends to sit out and relax.
 

Funky Mushrooms

 

These funky mushrooms were spotted by a large tree in the front garden of a home. I loved them so had to stop for a shot. The big one is over a foot tall.

Exercise

 

I have often wondered if anyone used these exercise stations found in some parks. Well I have actually seen several people using the ones in this local park so they do work to get people moving after all.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Flowers

It seems to have been a good year for Impatiens this year after several years when it wasn't available because of a disease that was killing the plants. You couldn't even buy plants for a couple of years. It is good to see the plants back and flourishing. 
 

Summer Fruit

 

The locally grown fruit that we get to enjoy in summer is wonderfully sweet and tasty. I thought this strawberry mural spotted in a laneway was perfect for the season despite all the heavy shadows on it.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

Just A Bit Of Fun

 

This bicycle with the old milk crate mounted on back gave me a smile when I noticed the writing on the crate. It says 'basket' on the side and 'bike' on the back. It struck me as fun. Everyone seemed to have milk crates being used for something around the house at one time and they are the perfect size for vinyl Lps.

First Caterpillar Stage

 

This is the first little caterpillar that emerges from the egg of a Black Swallowtail Butterfly. It is only about 1 inch long and will go through a few more stages until it reaches its final size and appearance. I had no idea what these were when I first saw them on my dill plants.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world. 

Waiting

 

This was the opening stage at the Cirque Du Soleil performance that I saw in June.  This stayed like this while we waited for everyone to be seated and then the lights dimmed and the segments of the circle opened and then people came out and slid the large trays of flowers away. And then the show began!

In The Trees

 

The Annex neighbourhood is known for its wonderful Victorian homes, most on small lots, but there are a few houses that don't fit that mold. This old brick house set among the trees has a large lot and even has parking. It always looks so welcoming and cool in the summer. Apparently it is divided into large apartments.

Pop, Pop ......

 

I am not sure if you all had commercials for Alka Seltzer but here in North America we had tv ads with Speedy showing us how the magic pills worked to settle your stomach. The ads had a earworm jingle that began with "Pop Pop Fizz Fizz Oh What A Relief It Is". I love this little Speedy.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world. 

Duck Pond

I am into my archives for this shot of the duck (and goose) pond at James Gardens. It is the surrounding vegetation that makes this such a lovely spot with mature willow trees and wonderful grasses. This is one of my favourite places in the city but I don't happen to be out in that area much anymore. I will have to make a point of going for trip to visit soon.
 

Mural On A Vehicle

 

When I went to see Cirque Du Soleil a couple of weeks ago Nissan was one of the sponsors and they had this vehicle on display. They were projecting images related to the Mexican theme of the show on to it. I think this counts as a mural.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

House On A Corner

 

Even on a hot day this house on a leafy corner in the Annex neighbourhood looks cool. That balcony would be a fine place to sit out and read.

Siblings

 

I have been having lots of Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars on my dill plants but then they seem to disappear and I have seen no butterflies yet. Sometimes they can be there and an hour later they are gone. A mystery.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world. 

Satellites?

 

I was walking along and happened upon a shrub covered in these wonderful orbs that looked like little satellites. Each was made up of hundreds of small flowers to form the balls. I looked it up on-line  and the bush is called a Buttonbush. There lots of honey bees buzzing around the bush. It was a wonderful sight.  

Balconies

 

I always love seeing this small apartment building in the Annex neighbourhood especially in summer when the flowers are out. Usually there are more hanging baskets on the balconies but it still looks wonderful. They have planted trees out the front so I have tried to get this shot from the side.

Two Cafes

 These are two neighbouring cafes that have patios running down the side of a building on Bloor St in the Annex neighbourhood. It was early morning so nobody sitting out yet. That front cafe with the dark wall looks to have lots of lights strung about and brollies to block the sun. I haven't tried either of these places yet.

Taking part in Signs2.  Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Beauty

 

The flowers of summer are so wonderful to see and these Rose of Sharon blooms were no disappointment.  My grandmother had a huge patch of these in her garden so they remind me of her.

White Squirrel

 

I posted this mural several years ago and recently went past it and was pleased to see that it hasn't been tagged. It references the colonies of white squirrels that live downtown along Queen St W. They are not albinos but are true white squirrels. Nice little sweater that this one has.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

Little Red Fiat

 

I showed you a tiny old green Fiat a few weeks ago and came upon this nice red one so I had to show it. It is a lot bigger than the old one but still small. A tall friend of mine has one and he together with his 6ft 7in son manage to squeeze into it. I love the colour.

A Cutie

 

This is a 4 month old standard Poodle who has yet to have her first haircut. She had just had a bath and blow dry so was really soft and full of cuddles.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from across the world. 

Lovely

 

The owners of this house always have a nice display in these planters at the front of their small garden. They change it with the seasons and it is always a treat to see it.

Art Show Booth

 

This interesting booth was spotted at one of our recent art shows in the city. The sculptures had a real narrative to them.

An Annex Pub

 

The Victory Cafe has been around the Annex neighbourhood for a long time in a couple of different locations, this spot for quite a while now. This was taken early on a morning before it was open but usually at this time of year that large patio is packed. And the food is good. You can do a yoga workout upstairs after you eat.

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world. 

Lilies

 

Summer is going by so quickly and I was surprised to see that the lilies are blooming already but it is July. These yellow ones were looking especially pretty.

Dancers

 

If you look at this mural carefully you realize that all those creatures are dancing away to music being played by a band made up of cats. It is too bad there was a door open on the left which had a couple more cat musicians. Fun on a summer evening!

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

A Peaceful Walk

Early on a Sunday morning this will give you an idea of why I like to walk in the Annex neighbourhood. It is always quiet and the trees keep it cool in summer and also stop the wind in winter. There are few driveways and just a few laneways hence all the cars parked on the streets.
 

Frog

 

I am back to the front porch that I showed you a few weeks ago with the great stork cut-out of steel. There were a few more creatures featured in the cut-outs and this is one of them, a tree frog. The dark areas are where there is a shaded background giving a nice effect.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world. 

Red

 

During the intermission at Cirque Du Soleil this giant screen came down and hid the stage area a bit but those dark areas were not opaque so you could see movement behind as they set up for the next acts. The screen resembled the Mexican paper cutouts called papel picado that are found for decoration at festive times of the year.

Drink Anyone?

 

The bar area inside the first tent at the Cirque Du Soleil really had a Mexican motif going. I loved the neon cactus. I took no pics during the performance as I was too busy watching everything.

Going To The Circus

 Luzia is the title of the Cirque Du Soleil show which I recently went to see. It is a dreamy tribute to Mexican culture using acrobats and special effects. This is the area just before you enter the tents which consists of the big tent itself and smaller tents for refreshments and souvenirs. 

Taking part in Signs2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world. 

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. 

Cirque

 

Cirque Du Soleil is in town for the next couple of months and I went to a recent performance. This is the view walking from the entrance towards the big top. It it was a wonderful show on a beautiful day.

The Cafe

 

It is hard to see at first but this seems to be a small cafe where even a blue raccoon has come for a bite. All the characters look rather unusual.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world. 

Starting Young

 

These young kids were doing a little exercise session in a local park before playing a few games with balls and goal nets. It was fun to watch them following along with the instructor.  A good thing to see.

Hungry

 

I spotted this caterpillar chewing away on some of my dill plants. I don't know what kind he is - maybe a Swallowtail? A few hours later he was gone which was a surprise.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.